Welcome, new folks!

Hi, there. If you've joined the mailing list recently, I want to make sure you get your free Frosthelm book, Traitors Unseen. If you haven't gotten it, you can get it free here (the site will ask you to sign up for this newsletter, which you're already getting) or here from Smashwords. It's also on Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Please, enjoy with my compliments.

My very first convention

Well, my very first convention as an author - I've been to a lot of geology conventions in the past. I went to the Crash City Con in Roanoke last weekend, and I had a great time. Here's how my table looked:

I spent most of my time in the vendor room at my table trying to sell my books and games, and I ended up selling 31 books and about 10 games for about $340 in revenue. That wasn't nearly enough to make back what I spent on the table fee ($100) the hotel for two nights ($260) and the books I sold (about $195). But this was a trial run, and I got to see how this would go and learned a bunch. I have a summary of the finances and the experience on my blog here.

One absolutely wonderful part of the whole thing was meeting a couple of fans. I'd mentioned in my last newsletter that I'd be in Roanoke for the convention, and one of my readers (one who posts lovely reviews of my books) showed up with her husband and with seven paperbacks for me to sign. I knew she existed, because I've seen her reviews, but I had no idea she was coming. A really magical moment for me, and I really appreciate it.

Lady Isovar makes the semifinals!

I'm so pleased to share that The Glorious and Epic Tale of Lady Isovar has made the semifinals in this year's SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off), an indie fantasy contest run by author Mark Lawrence. My book is in a group of 30 with two judges who've split up their books. Some of the books have been cut, others have been marked "safe for now," and a few have been named semifinalists. Here's the review from the judge, who goes by Esme Weatherwax and has been judging SPFBO for years.

Lady Isovar SPFBO Review

It's still early in the competition, so there's no telling what's ahead. There are three semifinalists so far in my group, plus five books marked safe, and ten cut, leaving twelve still to evaluate. The group includes some very big-name and experienced authors such as J.A. Andrews, so it's pretty competitive, but if I'm lucky, there's a chance Lady Isovar will be up to the challenge. She would certainly think she was.

Kenai coming to audio

We're nearing completion on the audiobook version of my SPSFC-winning space opera novel Kenai! Jennifer Pratt, who narrated Daros for me, has recorded the whole book. I'm currently going through listening to the whole thing, and because Jennifer's nearly perfect, there's not much to edit. I'm hoping to have it out soon. It will be available via Apple, Amazon, and Audible.

I have yet to make a profit on my audiobooks, because they're very expensive to produce, but I feel like having them available helps me reach more readers, and eventually they may earn out their $1200-$1800 cost to produce, especially if more people start to hear about my books.

SPSFC from the other side

Those of you who actually read these things know that I am a big fan of indie fiction competitions, having participated in SPFBO four times (twice making the semifinals, with The Woeling Lass two years ago and The Glorious and Epic Tale of Lady Isovar a semifinalist and still in the running this year), SPSFC twice (semifinalist for Daros, winner for Kenai), and SFINCS once.

I didn't have a new sci-fi book to enter in the upcoming SPSFC #4 (and I'm not sure it's good form to enter again after winning - still trying to figure that out), so instead, I volunteered to be a judge for this year's SPSFC. No news yet on which team I'll be on or what books I'll get to read, but I'm really looking forward to it. Having been through a lot of these as an author, I'm going to try to be a useful judge while respecting how these contests feel when your book is running the gauntlet.

Some stories to try

I'm part of several author collectives, and we share each other's work to try to help all of us reach more readers. In many cases, the books we share are are free or discounted. Sometimes, they ask that you sign up for a newsletter like this one. Here are some new books I have to share this month:

First, I have Queen of Vengeance by Sara Snow, a shifter romance about a woman betrayed by what sounds like her werewolf lover. Very complicated stuff, well beyond roll over, sit, and shake.

Next, I have Sapience by Alexis Lantgen, a collection of sci-fi stories set in our solar system. Very cool concepts here.

Next, I have Fire and Inferno by Luna Fox and F. Lowberry, the first book in their Plight of the Dracomancer series. A dracomancer woman struggles in the aftermath of war. On sale for only $0.99.

Next, I have The Survivors by Richard Rimington, a free space opera story about an ambassador who must fight for humanity's survival.

Finally, I have a set of 39 FREE fantasy books, all epic fantasy. There's sure to be something in here to whet your appetite for swords, magic, and/or glowing people.

Thanks

Thanks so much for being part of my newsletter community. I was given a nice reminder in Roanoke that there are actual people out there reading my books, and they're pretty terrific folks. I hope you're having fun with whatever you're reading, and I look forward to sharing more of my stories with you.

May the Bloodmother watch over you - 

Dave